CHAOS: CBS Pulls New Series After Three Episodes; Cancelled?

by Trevor Kimball, April 19, 2011

Right on schedule, CBS has decided to ditch their new Friday night TV series, CHAOS, after just a few weeks on the air. The show stumbled in the ratings right from the start and never recovered. It’s no longer on the air but is it cancelled?

A dramatic comedy, CHAOS follows a small group of CIA misfit spies who make up the Clandestine Administration and Oversight Services (CAOS). In addition to taking on threats to national security, they also must take on redtape and typical government bureaucracy. The TV series stars Freddy Rodriguez, Eric Close, James Murray, Tim Blake Nelson, Carmen Ejogo, Christina Cole, and Kurtwood Smith.

As detailed here, CHAOS debuted to a horrible 1.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 6.53 million viewers. That was quite a bit lower than the season average of Medium, a series that CBS cancelled because of poor ratings.

In the second week, CHAOS fell even lower to a 0.9 rating in the demo and 5.73 million viewers. Last Friday night, bumped up ever so slightly in the demo, to a 1.0 rating and 5.683 million. Unfortunately, that was far from enough of a gain to save the TV series.

CBS has pulled CHAOS from the schedule effective immediately. This week, a rerun of CSI: NY will fill the timeshot — and probably get better ratings. Next week, the previously scheduled The Royal Wedding: Modern Majesty will air. Then, beginning on May 6th, new episodes of Flashpoint will take over.

The network has 10 episodes of CHAOS left sitting on the shelf. CBS hasn’t said if there are any plans to release the unaired installments. Though CHAOS hasn’t been officially cancelled yet, there’s no way that they’ll be renewing it for a second season.

UPDATE: A statement from CBS indicates that the show will return to the schedule at some point in the future.

What do you think? Why did the TV show do so poorly, even by Friday night standards? Will you miss CHAOS?

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I loved that show then and I still love it now. CBS didn’t give the support the show needed and if they left it on air a little while longer I believe the the show would of gotten better views. If only Netflix or Hulu would take over the show as an “original” production… I just really want the show back is all.

CHAOS was a show with a lot to love and a great premise, but CBS targeted the wrong demographic and never gave the show the support it needed. Another studio such as FOX, HULU or NetFlix could easily turn this show into a massive hit, especially against the pap being offered up today.

Bring it back!!! I saw this show once before it was taken off the air: loved it as much as NCIS. I have spent months trying to find the show online and finally did at gorillavid. I’m happy to hear that there are additional episodes in a can somewhere. Open the can and put them on the air.

Trust network bureaucrats not to understand why an unusual show deserves time to catch on. Nothing has changed since NBC canceled Star Trek back in the 1960s and threw away its chance for one of the most valuable franchises in TV/movie history. I can’t count the number of terrific shows Fox has canceled for reasons never publicly explained.

Still… is it gone or just being reworked into something less imaginative or worth watching by too many vice presidents? Maybe it’ll be back in neutered form.

CBS I really do not like you right know because you canceled on of my favorite shows. I loved that show pluse you can’t cancel a show that’s got bad ratings after a few weeks you got to give it a few mounths. Till y’all put it back on then to me you just suck.

I must say I loved CHAOS!!! I only recently started watching it and was devastated when I found out that there are only 13 episodes…. Although I must say one thing I can understand why the ratings fell through the mat, why? There are a lot of little things that are out of place or never picked up again, for example, why was Adele being followed? At the end of the season I had forgotten that she was followed, if I had not watched it again I would never have remembered…. So its little things like that I think they… Read more »